Rare Piebald Lemon Shark Spotted Off Florida's Gulf Coast

A shark with a rare genetic mutation called https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12204725/ piebaldism was spotted off the Florida Gulf Coast on Saturday, August 22. This footage captured by Jacob Merrifield shows the uniquely patterned piebald lemon shark, which would normally have a solid yellowish-brown back, swimming near western Florida's Anna Maria Island. Merrifield said that he had never seen a shark like that before, and had no idea how rare it was. Piebaldism, which is characterized by partial loss of pigmentation, has only been documented in 25 wild shark cases across 17 species and 11 families, according to a https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12204725/ 2025 research report . (Footage by Jacob Merrifield/Storyful via Getty Images UGC)